We are at the peak of our curiosity as children. We ask our parents what everything under the sun is. Answers are given and then our curiosity leads us to our next, maybe more complex question. We gain familiarity with how things work over time and we ask less questions. We gain the ability to use common sense: You’ll get burned if you touch a hot stovetop; presidential elections are every 4 years; an orange is orange. 

I looked at this ability from a design perspective and considered what would happen if we didn’t use it: Will it be easier or harder to create design solutions without common sense? This made me think about how much potential there is for new answers to old problems. Problems whose ‘meh’ solutions could potentially be common sense’s answer. I want to challenge the viewers of my exhibition to expand their concluded understanding of a single object: an orange.

My exhibition is designed as two individual parts that give two individual experiences. The first involves just an orange. The second involves a curated collage of abstractions, all deriving origin from the orange fruit. After taking a moment with both parts individually, it is possible to compare the two experiences. Which one leads you to more interesting thoughts? Which experience brought more creative questions to mind?